America is obsessed with youth. We fund billion-dollar industries that help people cling to their younger days through Botox, cosmetic surgery, hair dye and retinol. In 2019, we spent almost 17 billion…

Senior Thomas Bigler relaxed his joints as he entered the upstairs shower, exhausted from a lacrosse battle in Kansas City. He fixed his focus on the relieving streams of water trickling down from the…

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on May 10, 2021.

Millard West alumni Joey Drwal and Sophie Hill, who graduated in 2021, were given a unique opportunity to spread awareness on a topic they are both passionate about. The alumni are U.S. Youth Ambassadors…

As an underclassman, junior Connor Thelen dressed like most other high school boys; every week, he cycled through T-shirts and khakis. When students returned from online school last fall, Thelen took the…

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on May 4, 2021.

For years, the Dickmeyer family of seven spent their summers at bowling alleys, participating in the national Kids Bowl Free program. During the summer before her freshman year, the game got just a little…

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on April 28, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on April 23, 2021.

I remember watching “Forrest Gump” in a doctor’s office waiting room when I was around 10. I was excited; I had heard about this movie — how it was a great American classic — and so, of course,…

As the 2021 Oscars season heats up, one film stands alone as the frontrunner for taking home Best Picture: “Nomadland.”

Fern (Frances McDormand) lives her life traveling in a trailer, making money…

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on March 31, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on March 31, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on April 1, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on April 2, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on March 25, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on March 25, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on March 18, 2021.

When I was entering fourth grade, there were two classes students could be placed in: gifted and non-gifted. The teachers and administrators never made the distinction out loud, but the students knew there…

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on March 11, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on March 10, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on March 4, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on March 1, 2021.

There are 535 members of Congress. Of those 535, only 39 were born in the 80s, and just one was born in the 90s. The average age of members of the current Congress is 59 years old, a full 23 years older…

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on March 1, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on February 25, 2021.

More than 2,000 cities. All 50 states. As much as 26 million people marching in the street and protesting racial injustice. After George Floyd died in a police arrest on May 26 last year, America saw its…

Music acts as a popular extracurricular for students. While many join the band, choir or orchestra to pursue their high school hobby, senior Dominic Zohlen seeks music away from the school environment.

Dominic’s…

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on February 4, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on February 5, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on February 3, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on February 2, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on January 14, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on January 14, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on January 13, 2021.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on December 9, 2020.

It’s been almost three years since Buffalo Bills defensive tackle and former Millard West football player Harrison Phillips heard his name called in the NFL draft. The Wildcat alum remembers his time…

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on November 20, 2020.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on November 20, 2020.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on November 19, 2020.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on November 18, 2020.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on November 17, 2020.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on November 12, 2020.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on November 12, 2020.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on November 5, 2020.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on October 30, 2020.

After the passage of the 15th Amendment, which prohibits states from disenfranchising people based on race, voter suppression tactics became commonplace in the US. Poll taxes, grandfather clauses and literacy…

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on October 14, 2020.